A Stone's Throw
by Azmera
Summary: While testing Portal Stones to see where they lead, Rand accidentally finds himself in our world. How will he cope?
1. Through the Portal Stone

Rand paused by the portal stone near Rhuidean. "Are you sure we should do this, Jahar?" he asked, glancing at his friend and fellow Asha'man.

Jahar nodded. "I think it is one of the best ways to see where these lead. I'll stay here and guard them, and if you don't come back within three days, I'll come after you."

Rand sighed, then said, "Fine. I already know where some of these lead." Pointing to a circle crossed by three wavy lines, he said, "This one leads to the burned-out Trolloc world. And this one here," he said, indicating a triangle-shape with a wavy line through it, "leads to the Tower of Ghenji. I wouldn't advise using that. And _this_ one here," he said, pointing to a third symbol, a circle with an X through it, "takes you to _tel'aran'rhiod_, the World of Dreams. I used that once. To kill Demandred, actually. I think I'll try this one," he said, pointing to a fourth symbol.

"Well, you'd best be off. I'll set up camp here, just in case," Jahar said.

Rand nodded, placing his hand over a circle surrounded by a second, wavy circle, he grasped _saidin_ and Traveled into that world. There was a blinding flash of light, and he was gone.

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Rand blinked a few times. The world he found himself in was full of gray. The sky was gray, the buildings were gray, even the _ground_ was gray.

Stopping a passing man, he said, "Excuse me sir, could you tell me where I am? I seem to be lost."

The man looked at him oddly. "Uh…sure. You're in Liverpool, England. Right outside the airport. Why?"

Rand shrugged. The man muttered something about "crazy hoodlums" and walked away.

Rand looked around again, noticing an enormous building behind him. There were seemingly thousands of people gathered in front of it, including a few dozen men in bright red coats. A roaring noise overhead reminded Rand of a _Cafar_, which he had only seen once. An enormous metal…thing…shot out over the building, and continued to rise until it had passed through the clouds.

"'ow ed earth did yous get e'yer?

Rand spun around, and saw a girl standing behind him. "Sorry, what did you say?" he said politely. _Lews Therin? Are you there?_ He called into his mind, hoping for an answer from the ancient Dragon.

The girl looked slightly annoyed. "Ay said, 'ow did yous get e'yer? yous juss sort o'...appeared. An where's yer accent from?"

Rand blinked a few times. "Well," he said slowly, "I'm originally from Andor, but I've been all over the world. I didn't think I _had_ an accent, truth to tell."

The girl frowned. "Andor? Na 'eard o' it. And yous do 'uv an accent," she said with a grin. "Me name is sarah, by de way." She stuck out her hand in front of her.

Rand frowned.

"Wa'? it's called a 'andshake. 'aven't yous 'eard o' it?"

Rand sighed. This was hopeless. _Any ideas?_ he asked Lews Therin.

_Well, you seem to have been transported somewhere else,_ Lews Therin said, which was odd. Usually, he was only half-sane.

_Are…are you alright, Lews Therin?_

_Of course I'm all right, idiot! Now, you need to figure out where you are. Focus!_

_Fine_, Rand thought sullenly.

Walking away from the slightly bewildered girl, he went up to one of the people in a line. "Excuse me, could you tell me where I am? I think I'm lost."

The man turned around. "Sure. You aaare in Liverpoohl, England. Why doh you fancy to knoh, anyweay?"

Rand shook his head. _It seems that I'm in some place called "Liverpool", although I have no idea why anyone would want to live in a pool of liver,_ he told the oddly-sane Lews Therin.

_What do you mean, 'oddly sane',_ Lews Therin snapped. _I'm just fine!_

Rand sighed again. _I'll never understand any of these people. Maybe I could create a gateway…_ He tried to grasp _saidin_, but found that it…wasn't there. In a panic, he felt for a shield, something put there by a Dreadlord, or perhaps one of the Foresaken reborn. _Lews Therin_, he called frantically, _I can't touch _saidin_! Or sense Elayne_, he added with a gasp.

There was no reply, only the faint feeling of Lews Therin's presence.

_Ah well, I suppose I'm on my own for now._

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**A/N: Sorry if you can't understand the accents, I can't really either. I was using a "dialect translator" or something, because I'm awful with dialects. Right now, I'm having trouble thinking of a second chapter. Don't you hate writers block? If you could review and leave an idea for me, that'd be great****.**


	2. A Quick Explanation of Stuff

Okay, there're a few questions that I thought might need answering.

The story takes place _after_ Tarmon Gai'don, but how long after I'm not sure. Rand's personality has gone back to normal, meaning he's not cold and hard and everything. And as to why the Portal Stone leads to our world, that's sort of a long story. Here's why:

Our world is one of the "worlds that might be", referenced in The Great Hunt. In this reality, both male and female Aes Sedai re-sealed the Dark One's prison. As such, the taint on _saidin_ was also placed on _saidar_, resulting in a worse Breaking of the World, to such an extent that it changed the shape of the planet. Close to the end of the Breaking, the last few sane Aes Sedai used their powers to completely sever the link between humanity and the One Power, which means that the Power can't be accessed on Earth. The Portal Stones are still around, some of which are the Easter Island heads and Stonehenge, among others. The symbol of the earth shows the planet, with the moon orbiting it.


	3. Liverpool and Beyond

Rand looked around. He pulled out an Andoran Gold Crown, and flipped it over in the palm of his hand. The people he had spoken to had never heard of Andor, except one girl who said he looked like a character from a book she'd read once. In his head, Lews Therin was musing over the strangeness of it all, still sounding oddly sane. He stopped by a large building that looked somewhat like an inn from Tar Valon. The sign on the roof read "Hard Days Night Hotel", and there were a few people standing around in front of it.

_What do you think, Lews Therin?_

_Well, it seems like a good place to start. As good a place as any, I suppose._

With a sigh, Rand pushed open the door in the front. The common room was strangely quiet, all gleaming marble and an odd silver metal. A woman sat behind a marble desk, scribbling notes onto a pad of paper. She was the only person there, though a few men in red-and-gold livery were pushing carts laden with bags of some sort.

When he tried to pay for a room with a silver Tar Valon mark, the woman-the innkeeper, he thought- gave him an odd look. After a minute, she shrugged and said, "Eh, it's silver. Anyway, your room number 349. Third floor, second hallway on the left, fifth room on the right." She handed him a square of something Lews Therin identified as "plastic," an oil-based product invented in the Age of Legends. The "plastic" was gold-colored and had a diagram showing, apparently, how to unlock the door.

After managing to use the "elevator," as another person called it, Rand found his room and used the diagram to unlock the door.

_Oh look, a glowbulb,_ Lews Therin said. _Those were popular back in the Age of Legends._

The room was the same as the common room, marble and that same odd silvery metal. Chrome, Lews Therin called it. There was an enormous bed, much bigger than anything he'd ever seen, and a table. The window had a view of the ocean, and hundreds of huge metal ships being unloaded. Metal ships! How in the Pit of Doom did _metal_ float? There was another door off to the left, which opened onto a bathroom. Why would he need a _private_ bathroom? This place was so strange.

There was a "plastic" box with glowing numbers on it. Rand assumed it was a clock, though it looked nothing like any clock he'd ever seen. It read "7:45" with a dot next to the "PM". The sun was going down outside, so he climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get over the fact that _saidin_ was missing. It was like being in Far Madding again, or a _stedding_. Strange.

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The next day, Rand left the inn and looked around the city. It was all gray like he remembered, but there were huge metal…things flying around above everyone. They looked like the sho-wings he had seen in the glass-column _ter'angreal_ in Rhuidean, except they were larger and put out a trail of smoke. Rand headed for the building they were coming from, a huge white stone building with a glass roof and the words "Above us only sky" written above the doors. There were multiple hallways leading from the enormous central room.

"Hello," he said to a man behind the desk labeled "Information". "I'm looking for some information."

The man glanced at him. "You're not from here, are you?"

"No, sir," Rand said. "I'm from..." he glanced at a sign above one of the many hallways. "Andover."

"They've got airports in Andover, son." He frowned. "Still...what do you need to know?"

"First of all," Rand said, pulling out a list of questions. The man looked shocked. "Where am I? And do you know anything about the One Power, and it's absence here?"

The man blinked. "The...One Power? What's that?"

Rand sighed. "Well, thank you. And where am I?"

"You're in Liverpool, England. Fastest way back to Andover is to take the direct flight to London, then get a second plane to Andover, I think. Can't help you more than that, sorry."

Rand thanked him and walked away, towards a second desk across the room labeled "Tickets".

"Hi," Rand said. "I'd like a ticket for the next flight to...London, please."

The woman looked at him for a moment. "First or second class?"

"Uh..."

"First then. That'll be..." she tapped a few buttons on the "keyboard" in front of her and looked at the view-box. "$835, please." She held out her hand expectantly.

Rand blinked a few times. He pulled out a handful of Tar Valon marks and handed them to her, saying, "Sorry, this is all I've got."

She looked at the silver and gold coins for a moment, and then handed him his "ticket", a stiff piece of paper with the words "Flight 542 to London, First Class, Seat 4A" printed on one side.

After asking the man behind the Information desk how to get on the plane, he located the waiting terminal. There were at least a hundred other people waiting there, a few eating doughy-looking circles of bread or sipping some sort of bubbly green drink.

"_Flight 452 to London, now boarding_," a voice said.

The crowd of people began filing into a tunnel, handing a person standing behind a podium their ticket.

He followed suit, and found himself in the front of a tube-like vehicle.

"This way please," a woman said. "You are seat 4A, correct?" He nodded. "Right here." She gave him a slightly forced-looking smile and departed.

The chair was large and squashy looking. Rand sat down and relaxed, something he hadn't done in a while.

_Well, I guess I'm going to London._


End file.
